Gloamrot Plague

Gloamrot Plague

"It begins with shadows under the skin... and ends when you can no longer remember the sun."  

Overview

The Gloamrot Plague is a rare and insidious affliction spreading through the city of Ilthmar. Unlike typical diseases, Gloamrot resists magical healing and divine intervention. It seems to cling not to flesh but to the soul’s luminance, bypassing standard restoration magic and even the power of divine clerics.   First reported among dockhands and shadowy tradesmen, it now creeps through Ilthmar’s lower quarters like a quiet storm. While no one knows its exact origin, the effects are unmistakable—and terrifying.  

Symptoms

 

Shadow-Stains – Iridescent bruises appear on the torso, resembling moving oil slicks under the skin.

Cognitive Decay – Victims become forgetful, lose language comprehension, and eventually, their own identity.

Sun Dread – Bright light causes irritation and confusion; infected become reclusive and light-averse.

Breath of Gloam – In advanced stages, exhaled air becomes visible as a dark mist, occasionally whispering unintelligibly.

   

Magical Resistance

The Gloamrot Plague defies all known divine curatives, including Cure Disease, Lesser Restoration, Remove Curse, and even Greater Restoration. Clerics theorize that this is because the plague exists partially on the ethereal or shadow plane, rendering it immune to conventional healing methods.  

Disease Stat Block

Type: Supernatural Disease
Incubation Period: 2 to 5 days
Transmission: Airborne in low-light or mist-heavy areas; possible contact with cursed relics
Saving Throw: DC 16 Constitution saving throw upon exposure (1x per long rest)
On a Failed Save: Target contracts Gloamrot Plague
Progression:

Day 1: Disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws

Day 3: Disadvantage on Intelligence-based skill checks

Day 5: Sunlight causes temporary blindness for 1d4 rounds

Day 7: Target begins exhaling shadow mist and must make DC 15 Wisdom saves daily or suffer one level of exhaustion

Day 10: Death and soul tethered to Plane of Shadow unless extraordinary magical intervention occurs

Magical Resistance:

Spells such as Cure Disease, Lesser Restoration, Remove Curse, and Greater Restoration have no effect

Only radiant-powered divine intervention, or a 9th-level spell involving planar banishment, may remove the affliction

Sunlight or radiant-infused relics may slow its progression (DM discretion)

Known Origins

Some whisper it is a curse unleashed when a shadowbound relic was unsealed beneath Ilthmar. Regardless of its origin, no scholar or cleric has yet uncovered a cure.  

Social Impact

Ilthmar has enacted arcane quarantines around entire districts. Faith in divine healers has faltered, while black market alchemists and charlatans thrive. Fear and paranoia haunt the city’s darker alleys.  

Rumors

 

The plague speaks to those near death, offering dark bargains.

A ship from The Cold Wastes may have brought the first infected ashore.

An organization known as the Slayer may be seeking to harvest the plague for arcane purposes.